Wake This Night Again
by MadAnge
Summary: A young Severus and a stone angel. I may write more someday, but for now it's complete.
1. Small Miracles

**A/N:** This story formed in my head the other night and I wrote the idea down on a slip of paper by my computer. Well, I ended up having to write it out – it just couldn't wait! I'm still working on "Parlor of Shadows" as well. I have not abandoned it! I have a few different things to choose from before I finish the next chapter. Back to this story: The title and the premise is somewhat derived from a poem my husband wrote to me a long time ago. I can't find the original, but a modified version of it he made into a song for his band is posted at the bottom of this chapter. Enjoy.

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_**Disclaimer:** The Great One, JKR, owns all of the Potterverse. I am but a humble fan who loves her world enough to pay homage in prose._

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**Chapter 1: Small Miracles.**

The young boy ran around the grand gardens of his parent's estate. Usually, when his parents would fight, he would hide away in his bedroom, but once he turned 7 he was granted access to the vast paradise of hedges and mazes, exquisite foliage and stone statues. In his small notebook which he always clung to he would make notes on the differing types of plants and make sketches of them, looking them up in the family library when he returned indoors. He would also admire the beautiful carved figures, which were scattered throughout among the pathways, amidst the flora, or hidden in the hedges. But his favorite of all was in a far corner of one of the labyrinths. She was a young angel standing on a short pedestal beneath an arch of pale yellow and powdery pink roses. A stone bench the same height as her pedestal was set directly before her, and the young boy would often sit upon it, legs crossed, and gaze upon her delicate face. He spent many days there sharing his thoughts and secrets, and as many nights gazing at the stars.

Late one night, as he sat on the bench leaning his back against her and watching the cloudy sky, he caught sight of a meteor streaking across the heavens in the only patch of clear. He sighed and tipped his head back to gaze at her face. "Was that not beautiful, dear angel? It is amazing how something so small and far away could have such an impact. I don't much believe in miracles, but sometimes I have to just so I can make sense of such things." The wind wrapped itself around him and ran its fingers through his hair, filling him with a sense of wonder to accompany his thoughts. Leaning forward he helped himself to his feet on the bench and came face to face with the angel, gazing into her unseeing eyes. He wasn't sure why he did it, only that he wanted to. He ran his hand along the angel's face and kissed her stone lips softly. With his forehead resting against hers he closed his eyes, sighed deeply, and whispered a lament. "I wish you were real, dear angel." A rumble of thunder passed and he cupped her face as he returned his eyes to the sky. Small drops of rain ushered in a downpour and he closed his eyes once more, letting his sadness wash away. Looking back to her face he frowned; the rain ran down her cheeks in a stream of simulated tears. He carefully wiped them away with his thumbs and smiled. "Just another small miracle," he whispered before kissing her cheek and stepping down from the bench. "Until tomorrow, dear angel, I bid you goodnight." He bowed to her and made his way back to the house.

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The storm raged violently all the next morning, sending down bolts of lightning to be followed by a symphony of thunder. He spent his day in the library reading a lengthy novel, sniffling his runny nose softly and drinking hot tea. By the late afternoon the storm had let up and the sky, as well as his nose, began to clear. He set the book on the table, stood up and stretched himself upwards. With a few satisfying cracks and pops he headed downstairs and ran out into the garden until he reached the labyrinth. He strolled through it slowly, running his hands along the hedge walls causing water droplets to flick off behind him, hearing his boots splash in the puddles and slosh in the mud, and deeply inhaling the damp air. The occasional swirls of wind played tricks on his ears, and he could almost swear he heard whispers and giggles and footsteps. 

As he rounded the corner to his haven, he stopped dead in his tracks and almost tripped over his feet. The angel was gone! Only some singed debris from the pedestal and bench remained, scattered around the clearing as though they were struck by lightning. He felt his throat tighten and eyes well up with tears as he took a step closer. _No_, he thought. _This can't be! My dear angel, my best friend, destroyed!_ He crumpled to the ground and buried his face into his hands. "Why?" came out a muffled cry.

"Why what?"

Startled he jumped up whipping around. He opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came out. Before him stood a small girl, with milky freckled skin, honey colored eyes and bushy brown hair highlighted with gold. She watched him with her head cocked to one side as she chewed her bottom lip, her hands curled together in front of her and her dress rippling slightly in the breeze. "Well?"

He blinked and came out of his trance. "Who-- Who are you?"

She closed her eyes and giggled, twisting her body from side to side. "I'm Hermione," she finally replied and curtsied, crossing her buckled shoes gracefully. She stood straight again, nervously biting her lip once more as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I've never seen you before. How did you get in here?" He crossed his arms and stepped closer to her as he said this.

"Hrm," she said thoughtfully, touching her finger to her chin. Her eyes widened and sparkled mischievously as she replied, "Consider it just another small miracle, Severus."

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**A/N:** How did you like it? Please review! 

As promised, here is the version of "_Wake This Night Again_" that he did for his band Cities Burn Away. They have lots of great songs – even if you're not into metal, their lyrics are worth a read. citiesburnaway dot com.

**Return to Grey  
**Held by your image, still and cold  
Waxen wings returned to grey  
Bearing scars of dawn's onset  
Made to stone by break of day  
You stand under the night sky  
At your feet, I hold my place  
In the grey, where you rest  
I never said goodbye  
I wander now  
Holding onto everything I am  
Still I watch you shine like stars  
Cold and grey  
I never meant you any harm  
I hope you're at peace where you are


	2. 1001 Nights

**A/N:** Well, here is the second chapter; I couldn't wait and had to write it now. Read and review!

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_**Disclaimer:** The Great One, JKR, owns all of the Potterverse. I am but a humble fan who loves her world enough to pay homage in prose.

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**Chapter 2: 1001 Nights.**

Severus gasped loudly. "My dear angel! But how--"

She giggled again and put her finger on his lip to quiet him. "This was your wish, Severus. I have been in this clearing for many years, and I have seen many people in that time. I have been spoken to and confided in, adored and admired, but never with the amount of feeling and emotion that you have. Your tender ministrations and gentle kiss caught the attention of the heavens, and your wish was the most heartfelt and sincere. When you left last night I was given a choice – I could consent to grant your wish with certain stipulations, or I could remain as a statue for many more generations. I think my choice was obvious," she finished with bright eyes and a large smile.

A breathy "wow" escaped from his mouth. "But wait, you said there were, uh…"

"Stipulations, yes. It means there are certain… conditions by which I must abide; rules, if you will. But that's not important. The only thing you need to know is that you cannot mention me to anyone. I am to be your secret, okay?"

"But why?" he asked, scrunching his face.

"It is a complicated matter and is the request of the heavens. Please just understand."

Severus gazed into her pleading doe eyes and smiled. "Okay, Hermione."

With a squeal her eyes lit up and she pulled him into a large hug. Severus was a bit stunned, but he returned the hug. She took his hand and ran throughout the garden with him, asking about the different plants and flowers, learning games like hide and seek, feeding the birds and reading the books that he would bring out from the library.

"Ooh! This book is amazing!" she squealed out from behind _Stories from the Thousand and One Nights_.

"There are thousands of books in the library, yet you've read that one like a hundred times!" She stuck her tongue out at Severus and continued reading. Hermione loved to read. In the mornings Severus would come out to the garden and the two would play and talk until he had to go to school. When he came home in the afternoons he would join her for a picnic lunch and Hermione would read a book while he worked on his class assignments. They would then spend the evening playing games until Severus had to go inside for dinner and bed. He never knew where it was that she slept, and when he asked her she would always reply, "I'm an angel, I sleep on a cloud," and she would traipse off giggling. After some time he gave up asking her.

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The days turned into months and the months into years, and Severus and Hermione were virtually inseparable. She had learned everything that he knew, studied all of his garden notebooks, and read every book in his family's library. And she would still read _Stories from the Thousand and One Nights_, even though she knew the stories by heart. She would often recite them to him during late nights when the pair were out stargazing. A week before his 11th birthday he surprised her with giving her the well-worn copy she so loved. The look of absolute love and delight in her eyes made him feel like he had never felt before; he couldn't even find the words to describe it if he was asked to. She meant the world to him and he could never even fathom life without her anymore. 

The night before his birthday brought the clearest night he had ever seen. The two sat together in the clearing gazing at an unimaginable number of stars. Hermione broke the comfortable silence. "I can't believe you're going to be 11 in just a few hours," she said softly, a warm smile on her face.

"It's just another birthday," he replied and looked at her, returning the smile. He reached up and stroked the side of her face, just as he did that night so long ago. She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand as the gentle wind caressed her hair.

"No, this one will be different, I just know it," she whispered softly and he chuckled. She reopened her big eyes and Severus could almost swear she had her own universe of stars hidden away in their depths. "Just trust me when I say that. You should probably go in soon – I wouldn't want you to end up sick tomorrow!" She smiled a big smile and sat up straight. Severus stood and took her hands, helping her to her feet. As he looked into her eyes he released her hands and cupped her face softly. She looked down shyly for a moment before locking her eyes back with his. He leaned forward slowly and kissed her ever so softly on the lips. She blushed and Severus came back to reality with a fierce blush of his own and cleared his throat.

"Goodnight, my dear angel," he whispered softly.

"Goodnight, my dear Severus," she replied equally. He made his way to the house and up to his bedroom and settled in for the best night of sleep he ever had. Hermione turned around to face the clearing and stepped into the center of it. She tipped her face up to the stars and closed her eyes as the wind surrounded her. With a deep breath she clutched the book tightly to her chest which was now heaving with the silent sobs wracking her body and tears leaving glistening trails down her cheeks and neck. The centuries-old grandfather clock inside of Snape Manor began to chime midnight, and though Hermione could not hear it, she knew and with each chime her body began to stiffen up. At the eleventh chime she had returned to her state as the stone angel, standing in the clearing crying and clutching her beloved tome. As the twelfth chime sounded the beautiful statue turned to ash and was carried away by the soft winds leaving not a single trace behind.

The sun spread its warm hands along Severus' face, drawing him from his wondrous slumber. He stood and stretched and got dressed, but he couldn't help but feel as though he was forgetting something. He shrugged it off and made his way downstairs. With the exception of his letter to Hogwarts, today was no different than any other day. He spent his day in the garden clearing, reading over his letter and thinking about what things would be like now. He never even noticed the absence of the stone angel he once worshipped; it was as if she had never been there.

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**A/N:** :sniffle: Well, she _did_ say there were stipulations. Review please. 


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